𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 | 𝟏𝟖+

LILY

04. HIM

I shake in slight fear before noticing the giant silhouette of a man with his back toward me, his knuckles cracked from beating Xavier. A few other men surround him, standing on guard with large guns.

"What are you doing in my house?!" The man became stiff at the sound of my voice, rotating to face me. He was handsome beyond comparison. His lips were a rosy pink, eyes a beautiful shade of brownish gold with green hues like the sun, and the earth had a love child. His hair was dark chocolate and stubble, cleanly shaven and shaped to perfection that did nothing to hide his sharp jaw. He was divine.

He frowned at the sight of me, peering between Xavier and me. He strutted towards me like a predator, and I backed up at his advancement, only to be cornered into the door. He leaned in a bit too close for comfort and stared at my face.

When I walked in, I didn't notice the strong smell of metallic iron; the urge to gag was above par. I blink slowly as if I were to close my eyes a second too long, he would kill me. My expression must have given me away because his frown deepened, and he suddenly stroked my cheek.

"cosa ci fa un bel fiore come te in un posto come questo. un po fuori luogo, no?"

His voice was deep and husky, spilling words from his lips that made my heart sing. I pinched my brows at his words, trying to decipher their meaning, but the thought quickly faded when I realized he had wiped the blood on my skin. I grimaced, slapping his hand away from my face with a glare. "Don't touch me," I grit bravely.

He chuckled deeply in amusement, the sound causing my body to flinch. I glared at him, not understanding what was funny about a home invasion. I peek around the large man's shoulder at the sound of Xaviers' protest to see him glaring at us with hostility, regardless of his obvious discomfort.

"Don't touch her. She's mine," Xavier painfully mutters.

The man's gaze turned cold, and I stilled, waiting for his next move. I willed myself to move, but my body wouldn't listen. The man takes my arm in a vice and shoves me onto the couch.

"Sit."

I fucking hate this couch. I recall going furniture shopping when we first moved into this house, and Xavier was so adamant about getting it that he practically threw a tantrum. I sat helplessly as Xavier attempted to escape the ropes.

"Fiore."

My attention shoots to the man in confusion, and although his expression is blank, his eyes shine with craze. "I asked you what your relationship with this man is la mia rosa?"

"He's my fiancé," I croak out.

The man's jaw ticked before leering at Xavier with a tilt of his head. "Quindi questo è il tuo segreto Xavier, una donna? Perché tenerla segreta quando avresti potuto condividerla?" He says.

Whatever he said made the men around him laugh, but it seemed to piss Xavier off further. Xavier dared to spit at him. "ti ucciderò!" He shouts at him.

I unintentionally flinched at the volume of his voice. The man's attention snapped to me, and I froze. His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I thought he would grab me again or do something to me, but his eyes softened.

He knows. He must know; how can he not?

I shift in my seat and quiver, my stomach pools with a sudden worry. A voice says, "Lily, don't listen to anything this man says. You understand me!?" He seemed pretty frantic and must be having an adrenaline rush because his body shook beyond control. I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.